6 Scrumptious Flavors of Empanadas to Try

EMPANADAS!!! EM PA NA DAS!!! You guys should seriously try these delicious empanadas ❤ It’s definitely worth the try, I’m telling you!! Empanadas are basically meat pies popular throughout the Latin world. The variety of fillings for empanadas are truly endless!! You can try experimenting different mixtures of chicken, ham, fish, pork, vegetables, and other sort of savoury ingredients. Guess what? It can be a dessert as well!! Don’t dare miss the change of trying one!

PROCEDURES
Part 1
1. In a pan, heat oil and saute garlic and onion.
2. Add longganisa then season with salt and pepper, cook until brown.
3. Transfer in a bowl then add grated papaya then mix and set aside.

Part 2
1. In bowl, combine all ingredients then mix until dough is formed. Set aside.

Part 3
1. Place a plastic wrap on the table then brushed with oil.
2. Take 3 tablespoons of dough then flatten using a rolling pin.
3. Place 3 tablespoons of filling over flatten dough then make a small space in the middle for raw egg.
4. Fold and seal the sides then trim the edges using a plastic plate.

Part 4
1. In a pan, heat enough oil then deep fry empanada for 3 minutes or until crisp.
2. Drain on paper towel then serve with garlic vinegar.

1/2 c raisins (you can omit if you don’t like raisins but this really makes them special)

salt and pepper to taste (go easy on the salt because the olives are salty)

1 tsp red pepper flakes

2 hard boiled eggs, chopped

24 empanada wrappers, thawed (I prefer Goya)

5 cups vegetable oil for frying (grandma uses Crisco and I am sure lard if it were still easy to find)

PROCEDURE

Preheat a large frying pan with olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and cook for about 8 minutes or until slightly soft.

Stir in ground beef and cook, using a wooden spoon to break up lumps. Cook until beef is no longer pink, about 8 minutes. Sprinkle in flour to absorb excess oil. Allow mixture to cool for about 15 minutes.

Sprinkle a little flour on your counter and spread out a few empanada wrappers. Place a tablespoon of the beef mixture into the center of each disk. Moisten edges of each disk with a tiny bit of water and fold over to form a semicircle, then crimp closed with a fork. Keep going until you have used up all of your wrappers.

Heat vegetable oil in a deep 12-inch skillet or stockpot over medium heat until it registers 360°F on thermometer. Fry empanadas, 3 at a time, turning once, until crisp and golden, 6 minutes per batch. Transfer the cooked empanadas to a baking sheet to keep warm in a 200 degree oven while you fry the remaining empanadas.

In a bowl combine chopped grilled chicken, pasilla chile, onion, and corn. Mix well, then season with salt and pepper to taste. Set to the side.

Then cut pieces of jack cheese and set to the side.

Make a egg wash by mixing an egg and 1 tablespoon of water together. Set to the side.

Unfold puff pastry and cut each sheet into 4 equal parts. You will have a total of 8 squares.

Take 1 square and face a point towards you, then take a heaping tablespoon of the chicken filling and place on the middle, then add a few chunks of cheese.

Next brush on egg wash to half of the square… forming a “V” or two lines of a triangle, this will help seal the ends together. Then fold over puff pastry covering the filling completely. Press the edges together with your fingers, then go around the edges with the tips of a fork. Sealing the empanada completely. Then poke a few holes on top of empanada and brush entire empanada with the egg wash.

Place on a lined cookie sheet, and continue to the next one.

Once finished…. place in oven and bake for 20 minutes. Let cool for 3 to 5 minutes and eat hot! Or let cool completely and enjoy for a lunch or picnic.

DIRECTIONS:

Make Peach Filling:

Peel and dice peaches. In a saucepan, combine peaches, sugar, water, cinnamon, and cloves. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Cook until peaches are soft.
Remove excess water, and discard cinnamon and cloves. Mash cooked peaches with masher how much mashing? Like refried beans mashed? and cook for another 15 minutes stirring so peaches will not burn. Remove from heat. Set filling aside or refrigerate.

Make Empanada Dough:

Mix the first 3 dry ingredients. Cut in the shortening. It is best to use your hands. Add the eggs, milk, and sugar. Continue to work in with your hands until you have a soft dough. Split the dough in half, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for about 20 to 30 minutes.

Assemble and bake empanadas:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Take out half the dough and split it into 12 equal balls of dough.

On a floured surface, roll out the dough balls into small round circles. Place a small dollop of peach filling on one half of each of the dough circles. Wet the bottom edge of the circles with water to help seal the two halves. Fold over the dough to cover filling and seal off the edges with a fork by pressing down along the edges. This also makes for a pretty pattern when baked.

Repeat with remaining dough and filling.

Brush each empanada with some egg whites, sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar mixture. Puncture the top of each empanada with a fork to allow steam to escape while baking.

Spray a large cookie sheet with cooking spray, place the empanadas on the cookie sheet and bake for 15 to 20 minutes on middle rack in the oven. If after 15 minutes you notice the bottoms of the empanadas starting to brown, move the cookie sheet to the top rack and continue to bake for the last 5 minutes, until golden brown.

Enjoy the empanadas warm or at room temperature. Refrigerate baked empanadas for a few days. Reheat in a toaster oven or bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes.